United States

December 28, 2018

This card came to me from the US. The sender didn't write much on the back of the card, but was quite friendly nonetheless.

She wrote,

Helen.
Greetings from Wichita. Kansas. United States of America.
Hope you'd like this card.
Happy postcrossing.

Aliessia
12.14.2018

Interesting stamps. I rather like the Santa ones , but the fruit is nice too!

Philippines - Tea

December 27, 2018

This great card came to me near the end of 2018 from the Philippines.  Miguel wrote a lovely friendly note on his card and used cool stamps so it was a very happy Postcrossing for me!

He wrote,

Dear Helen,

Hello from Manilla! I hope htis postcard reaches you well and that you are doing fine. You wrote that you like tea. May I ask what kind you drink? Personally, I like Jasmine tea. I don't know why they failed to include that in this postcard. I went to Taiwan last week and I enjoyed Jasmine Milk Tea. I must have had 10 servings of it. I would very much like to experience a Japanese tea ceremony. I'm sure tradition would add some kind of flavor to the tea. 

Yours, 

Miguel

Herbal Tea Selection
Photo by marilyn barbone

Cool Stamps!

France

December 27, 2018

This pretty card came from Stephanie in France. She wrote a nice note and decorated the back of the card with stickers, so it was a nice piece of mail to receive in my mailbox.

She wrote,

Hello Helen!

I'm Stephanie from France. I live in a small city near the sea with my 2 children Keva 10, Nicoles 8) and my husband Thierry. I love swimming, sailing, walking on the beach, cooking and reading. I like Harry Potter film.

Happy Postcrossing!

 The stamp below celebrates a short film festival, so it was a great choice for me!

United States of America - Book/Tea

December 25, 2018 (Yes, there is mail delivery on December 25 in Japan as it isn't a national holiday here.)

The note on the back of the card was short and didn't have a lot to say.  The person did list a few of their favourite movies though, so they get brownie points for that.

I really like the card however. It's very literary and it mentions tea and Peter Pan!

The person wrote;

Greetings from Olympia, WA!

My favorite films include Little Shop of Horrors, Kiss Me Kate, The Jerk, & Marat/Sade. [They wrote a line and a half and then scribbled over it so I can't read it.]

Happy Postcrossing!

Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?
Peter and Wendy
J.M. Barrie
 

Santa stamps on Christmas Day.  Yay!

Germany

December 22, 2018

This card came from Germany with a short note on the back. It's a cool card with cool stamps, so of course I think it is rather nice :-)

Marko wrote,

Dear Helen,

I'm sending you many greetings from Germany. Merry Christmas!  Marko

This is a lovely Christmas stamp on the card.  I really like it!

Germany

December 22, 2018

This card came from Lena in Germany.  She wrote a friendly note on the back and used some great stamps too.  I really like the picture on the front of this one.

She wrote,

Dear Helen!

I send you all the best from 8, 798km away on the 15th of December 2018. Looking forward to spending time with family and friends!

All the best to you and your family!

Lena

2018 design by Sostrene Grene

Germany - Postcrossing & Food

December 22, 2018

This card came to me from Manuela in Germany. She wrote an interesting note on the back and it was signed by a few people at the meetup.

She wrote,

Hi,

in May, we've met for lettering course, raclette and do some postcards. Here's our special designed card with the place we've live in and raclette. For that we had we had fruits, vegetables, fish and sausages. Merry Christmas

Manuela

I haven't seen this particular stamp before, rather cute!

Russia

December 12, 2018


This person sent a postcard with a very short message.  Unfortunately, they sent me a picture of a dog...It's a cute dog, but I don't really like pictures of dogs or cats unless they are Shetland Sheepdogs, and this isn't. They didn't sign the card either.

The sender wrote,

Respect the past, create the future!
=)

Austria

November 12, 2018

This card arrived rather a while ago. It was sent by Monika who wrote a short friendly note on the back.

She wrote,

Hello Helen!

Greetings from Austria!
On this card you can see some impressions of our beautiful capital Vienna. My older son is studying there. W.A. Mozart is one of my favourite composers.

Best wishes, Monika

Vienna

This is a gorgeous stamp, really like it too.

End of Year Slow Down

December 20, 2018

I just wanted to let you know that I am still Postcrossing, although not to the extent that I was before.

I have a couple of cards that I haven't posted yet, but as this time of year is very busy, I might not be able to post them for a while.  Please bear with me and keep checking back!

Thanks, and seasons greetings to all of my readers!

Helen

Russia - Food

November 9, 2018

Katya sent this card to me from Russia. She taped an oak leaf on the back and wrote a friendly note about her city, so obviously, I like this card!

She wrote;

Hello Helen!

Greeting from the city of Tula - the birthplace of samovars and gingerbread! This photo shows soup borsch and it's recipe, we like it.

I hope someday you cook it.

By the way, this is the leaf oak (to the attached leaf)

With best wishes! Katya.

I would like to make this recipe but beets are a little hard to find here. Also, I have a sensitivity to tomatoes so
this would be difficult for me to eat. 

The red stamp that Katya used on the back is rather gorgeous. It's a FIFA stamp.

Latvia

November 6, 2018

This card came to me from Ruslan in Latvia. He wrote a short note on the back of the card and told me about his day. I like that kind of thing very much!

He wrote;

Hello Helen!

Greetings from Latvia! I live to run and ride my bicycle. Yesterday morning I did my ride and I fell from bicycle and broke my rib! Now I need to rest for 3-4 weeks!

Best wishes,

Ruslan

This is a beautiful stamp. I really love it!

India - Food

November 5, 2018

This delicious looking card came from Soumya in India. She wrote a friendly note on the back of the card too.  When I wrote to her I said that her card made me hungry for Indian food, so I visited the Indian restaurant in my city soon after I received it! Funny thing is, writing about this card again makes me want to go back again :-)

She wrote;

Namaste! greetings from India! I have heard so many good things of Japan. That make me wanna visit it some-day. Japan's cherry blossoms are my favourite. I heard people pack picnic lunches while they bloom. I have also heard a lot about Mt. Fuji :-)

United States

November 5, 2018

This fun card came from Linda in the US.  She wrote a lot on the back of her card and used some great stamps so this was a lovely present in my mailbox!

She wrote;

Hello Helen from Milwaukee Wisconsin on Beautiful Lake Michigan. Fall here, lots of pumkins everywhere as it gets closer to Halloween, people dress up in costumes & scare others ~LOVE this time of year ~ fresh apples picked from the trees dipped in caramel and rolled in nuts, "Yummy".

We are waiting for our second grandson this December.

Peace & Joy ~ Linda USA

Linda used some amazing stamps on her card as well.  

Thanks Linda!  A really cool Postcrossing!

United States

November 2, 2018

This card came from David in the US. He wrote a lovely message on the back of the card and referred me to YouTube to see videos of his Grandmother telling stories. I did have a look at one of them and it was very interesting. She was talented, so I encourage anyone interested to have a listen too.

David wrote;

Hello, Helen!

I hope all is well your way. This is a picture of Sloss Furnaces in my town of Birmingham, Alabama, USA. I like this landmark because it is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of workers who died there.

My Grandmother was a storyteller & wrote several books about ghost stories in the Southern United States. Places like this remind me of her & the fabulous stories & food she would share with me. If you like good stories, you should find her by searching for KATHRYN TUCKER WINDHAM on YouTube. Her stories were more informative than "scary"stories.

Well, Damn! I'm out of space to write.

David
Birmingham, AL, U.S.

Germany

October 31, 2018

Friedhelm sent this card of the Count and Countess Lennart Bernadotte af Wisborg, Island of Mainau, and family to me. He wrote a friendly note on the back of the card and referred me back to his profile for his website.

It's an interesting card.  The Japanese Royal Family don't seem to do postcards.  I'm not sure why that is, but I'm not sure that I'd buy or send them anyway!

Friedhelm wrote;

Hello Helen! My name is Friedhelm and I live with my wife and our dog in Germany. I am retired and have 3 adult granddaughters. More about me: please read my profile and visit my website. Unfortunately my homepage is written in German, but the pictures speak for themselves.

I wish you all the best and stay healthy.
Friedhelm

Russia

October 15, 2018

This card came to me from Irina who visited Vladivostok for a short time.  I've always wanted to go and it isn't too far from where I live in Japan.  Maybe one day I'll hop on a boat and make my way over there!

She wrote;

Hello Helen!
On this card the center of Vladivostok. Here you can see the Golden Bridge. It is so named because it passed through the Golden Bay. I returned home a few days ago.

For me Vladivostok is hills, stairs, islands, bays, lighthouses and, of course, the sea. I was there for two weeks, and I want to go back to the sea and friends. I hope you enjoy views of the city center.

Best wishes, Irina
18.09.2018 +18℃

Russia - Books

October 12, 2018

Dasha sent this card to me from Russia with a nice note and some stickers on the back.  I buy stickers, but I keep forgetting to put them on the cards. I'd rather write a longer message I think!  Still, I do appreciate them on the back, sometimes.

She wrote;

Hi! My name is Dasha. I'm a young mother. My daughter is one year old turned on last week. With my husband Roman we are happy and we bring up my daughter. I wish you happeness[sic]!
24.09.2018

United States - Black & White Actress

October 10, 2018

This excellent card came to me from the US.  Lisa sent it wth a great message all about movies on the back, so I was thrilled. Also fabulous was the fact that she used movie star stamps on the back.  A double bonus!

She wrote

Hi Helen - sending greetings from Texas. I love Casablanca too & the original Wuthering Heights. Tried to find a card you haven't already received. Hope I succeeded!
One of my all time favorite movies is A Room With a View. I love to art journal--@dagbockblue on Instagram and dream of taking a trip to Japan to buy supplies & check out the traveler's factory Midori[not sure about this word].

Best,
Lisa

Audrey Hepburn

Look at these cooler than cool stamps!  Personally, I love the Shirley Temple one, but the Elvis one is interesting too. 

Thanks so much Lisa!!

Russia - Beverage Related

October 9, 2018

Kate sent this dreamy card to me from Russia.  She wrote a lovely long message with some translations of the phrases on the card. She didn't sign the card either...but this was a nice one to receive.

She wrote;

Dear Helen!
Hope you'll like this postcard. In the front side, there are words 'Happiness is to make a wish upon a shooting star'. Have you ever tried to make a wish upon a shooting star? I have. When I was a kid.
Now I live in a Big City, and I can Barely see the brightest stars in the night. Sometimes I like going to some lonely [possibly 'lovely'] places without flashing signs and cars rushing around. Have a nice day!

Also on the back of the card, some Russian and the translation, "May every day be happy!"

I love the quiet dreaminess about this card.  I would like to be  that person, or to sit down on the stoop next to her.

Thanks Kate!